wanderings & wonderings

It sounds like a shoot out between gangs of Sicilian Mafiosi ending in the untimely death, or some might say the well overdue demise, of the much-feared Frangipani family. In actual fact it refers to gardening, of a sort. Central Bali. At the start of a season that should be dry and sunny during the day but which was still wet and overcast. Windy and cool. The occasional day of glorious sunshine reminding us that behind the clouds the sun always shines. He is just extremely

Batuan, central Bali. A Wednesday at the beginning of February. The night’s darkness still blanketing the earth. I awoke cold and shivering, huddled under my duvet with the wind causing my mosquito net to billow over me. I screwed my eyes shut and drew my knees to my chest. Knowing I needed to shut the windows behind the bed and close out the draught if I was to have any hope of more sleep. I ignored it all. Willing sleep to come anyway. It had been a late night, by my stand

Another little piece I have found, also from 2009; an exercise for the writing group I belonged to in Singapore. The task was to write about our favourite smell in less than 100 words. This is my offering - 99 words. Rich, round and yellow this aroma arrives without knocking. A blast of fragrant happiness that makes the limbic system salsa. A trace of spice underlying a big, bold statement of lemon. Or is it? Sherbet lemons, for sure. But lemons off the tree? No. If this aro

How we manage our wellbeing is a matter of personal choice. It is something I am passionate about and an arena I have been working in for over 2 decades. In 2021, into our second year of the global SARS-CoV2 pandemic, more and more people are aware of the need to think about their wellbeing, about their wellness, as the stresses from living as we have to continue to take their toll. One thing I do every day is go out for what I call a bimble, a walk. Every day without fail, n

I love this image that I took on a local island in the very far north of the Maldives 25 years ago. These young people are radiating happine

The day dawned utterly serene this morning over Singapore. Being Sunday the building sites are silent leaving space in the ether